With hacking becoming an everyday issue, I am taking a proactive approach. I am trying to create a more secure phone.  Of course, nothing is totally secure. If a foreign country is going to target your phone, odds are they will probably succeed. Here is what I have on my android Samsung Galaxy 3 phone.

The first step in my process for a safer phone is the purchase a Anker LI-On Battery 7200mAh. With so many apps running, extra battery power comes in handy. Personal review: I love this product.  My standard battery would normally run out by the end of the day. Now, I no longer worry about battery power.

Second, I installed the pro version of Call Control. This app blocks junk phone calls. Both from an internal Do Not Call registry and a national Do Not Call registry. The way it works is if someone receives a spam phone call, they simply add the number to the company’s list. Then that number becomes blocked! Personal review:  I bought this out of frustration as I had become the target of a telemarketing company after getting into a shouting match with an annoying unsolicited telemarketer. This program works great for me! My problem is now solved with this feature.

Third, I put in place the pro edition of Silent Circle. The app enables the phone to encrypt phone calls. Personal review:  I have the 100 minute a month plan. The quality of the phone call is superior.

Fourth, I strengthened the privacy of my cell phone with https://disconnect.me/ pro edition.  Personal review:  Works great. I do not see any difference in speed and performance. 

Fifth, I went with pro edition http://www.avast.com/ Personal review. I chose the  antivirus edition due to the high ratings it has achieved via multiple websites.

Six, I have Virtru for private emails. Personal opinion. A great simple to use encryption service for email. As for anything that is very sensitive I would refrain from using email in general. This is a simple to use  encryption program that integrates with phone nicely.

Seven, I use Redphone, a free phone encryption service.  Personal review: This is a great service that many reporters use. It is free and simple to use. It is open source and the donations it receives to operate is also open to the public.

Eight, I have Snoopwall. Personal review: An excellent app in my opinion! Helps prevent snooping. It simplifies the process of making the phone more secure.

Nine, For browsing, I have the standard tools of Duck Duck Go for search engine. Tor, and Firefox. Personal review.  Duck Duck Go is the best altermative in my mind to Google. Firefox, is a great browser, and Tor, well it is better then nothing.

Ten, I have some great apps by https://f-droid.org/ Personal review: F-droid is an amazing open source project. The project contains many great apps for downloading. Some are experimental.

Bonus: I have just downloaded Smarter Wifi Manager. I will write a review for my next blog.

In conclusion, I feel very comfortable with the security on my phone. I am not trying to become anonymous; I am trying to be protective of my information.